Written Answers to Questions

Friday 12 January 1990

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Ko Hsuan School

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and
Science when his inspectors last visited Ko Hsuan school in North Devon ;
what inquiries they made ; if he will publish their report ; and if he will
now make a statement on the information he has concerning the recent
suicide of a pupil at the school.

Mr. Alan Howarth : My Department has asked for a full explanation
from the school of the circumstances leading up to the tragic death of
Nicholas Shultz.

Her Majesty's inspectors last visited the school in September 1988 to
advise the Department about its final registration. The visit involved not
only observation of work in progress but discussions with senior management
about the curriculum. The boarding accommodation was briefly visited ;
there was no evidence of boys and girls sharing the same dormitory or
bedroom. This was one of the many visits to independent schools carried out
by Her Majesty's inspectorate as part of its routine information-gathering.
As such, it will not lead to a published report.

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Teacher Shortages

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and
Science what information is kept on the number of children sent home due to
lack of teaching staff in each local education authority.

Mr. Alan Howarth : Local education authorities are responsible for
the deployment of teachers, and comprehensive information about the number
of pupils sent home is not held centrally by the Department.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Teachers' Pay

Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what
is the average annual salary earned by graduates in (a) teaching, (b) the
Civil Service, (c) industry and (d) commerce in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Cope : This information is not available.

Recruitment Advertising

Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland if he will give for each health and social services board in
Northern Ireland amounts spent on recruitment advertising for the last
three years, together with a breakdown of the spending between (a) national
press, (b) regional press, (c) specialist or periodical press and (d)
other, stating which ; and if he will make a statement.

Drought Orders

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if
he will list by (a) water company and (b) location, where drought orders
still remain in force.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : There are no drought orders currently in force
in Northern Ireland.

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Police Officers (Housing Allowance)

Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if
he intends to implement the recommendation of the police negotiating board
that officers in provided accommodation should receive a housing allowance
and pay rent for their accommodation ; and if he will make a statement.

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Mr. Cope : No. The police authority will
need to provide accommodation free of rent for the foreseeable future to
meet operational requirements and as an incentive to recruitment. It has
therefore been decided to maintain the status quo with officers in provided
accommodation receiving no housing allowance but living rent-free. Draft
regulations which amend the rent allowance provisions of the Royal Ulster
Constabulary regulations 1984 have been sent to the police negotiating
board for comment.

Beef

Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland whether he has made any representations to the Commission of the
European Communities about the beef industry in Northern Ireland ; whether
he is prepared to give additional assistance to the beef industry ; what
representations he has received about the beef industry ; and if he will
make a statement about the present state of the beef industry.

Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 11 January 1990] : The
Government are aware of the concerns being expressed about the current
state of the beef industry in Northern Ireland. My right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State has had preliminary discussions with the Ulster Farmers
Union on the matter and I intend to have a further meeting with the union
shortly.

In the light of discussions with the union we will consider what action,
including representations to the Commission of the European Communities
through my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food, might be taken to alleviate the concerns expressed.

Terrorism (Compensation)

Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he
will list in the Official Report the criteria by which compensation is
awarded to the victims of terrorism and to the families of the victims of
terrorism in Northern Ireland and the amount of and the circumstances in
which payments have been made in each of the past 10 years ; and whether he
is satisfied with the way in which the present system operates.

Mr. Cope [holding answer 11 January 1990] : In Northern
Ireland, as in Great Britain, the victim of a criminal injury is entitled
to be compensated for pain, suffering and loss of amenities, and for any
expenses or pecuniary loss resulting from his injuries. If the victim dies
as a result of a criminal injury, compensation is payable to his relatives
in respect of expenses incurred or pecuniary loss suffered as a result of
the death. Additionally, in the case of incidents occuring on or after 1
July 1988, a bereavement award of £3,500 is payable to the spouse of
the deceased victim or to the parents if the victim was unmarried and under
18 years of age. The rationale of the scheme is to ensure that victims and
their families do not suffer financial hardship. The legislation makes no
distinction between terrorist and other criminal acts except that in
terrorist cases there is no upper limit to the amount of compensation for
pecuniary loss which can be paid to victims or their dependants.

Where a victim survives his injuries the amount of pecuniary loss arising
from his partial or total incapacity for work is based on his earnings and
future career prospects and account is also taken of any occupational

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pension or gratuity and social security
benefits payable as a result of the injury. The same considerations apply
in assessing the amount of pecuniary loss suffered by the dependants of a
deceased victim. In the case of pecuniary loss suffered by other relatives,
including the deceased victim's parents, account has to be taken of the
amount of the victim's financial contributions and the length of time such
contributions could reasonably have been expected to have continued.

In all cases compensation is paid as a tax-free lump sum. Any applicant who
is dissatisfied with the amount determined has a statutory right of appeal
to the courts.

The compensation provisions broadly follow common law practice and are
similar to the compensation provisions in the rest of the United Kingdom.
The scheme operates in a fair and reasonable way. The table shows the total
amount of compensation paid in each of the past 10 years to the victims of
terrorism, their dependants and other relatives.

Traffic Flows

Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland when the last census of traffic was carried out on each road which
enters Limavady town ; what were the traffic figures for each road on that
occasion ; and what is his estimate of the present figures, numbers to be
given for daily, and maximum and minimum hourly traffic volumes.

Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 9 January 1990] : Traffic
figures on each road entering Limavady are obtained continually from
automatic census points and annual figures are derived from these. The
information for 1989 is as follows :

Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland what is his estimate of the present flow of traffic on a daily and
maximum and minimum hourly flow basis across the Bann bridge, Coleraine and
the Mountsandel bridge, Coleraine ; what were the figures when the last
traffic census was taken ; and what were the figures for the Bann bridge
before the Mountsandel bridge was opened.

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Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 9
January 1990] : The present daily and maximum and minimum hourly
traffic flows across the Bann bridge are estimated to be 26,452, 2,600 and
10 respectively. These are based on the last census in 1988 but there have
been no significant traffic flow changes since then. Automatic census
points on the Sandelford bridge gave actual figures for 1989 of 14,745, 1,
463 and eight respectively. The last complete census in 1987 gave figures
of 13,450 and 1,350 vehicles with no minimum figure being available.

The average 16-hour daily flow for the Bann bridge in 1972, before the
Sandelford bridge was opened, was 22,290 vehicles. Maximum and minimum
hourly flows are not available.

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Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show (a) the
number of vehicles which cross the Roe bridge at Limavady, and (b) the
number of vehicles which cross the Roe bridge at Dungiven, each day and the
number of such vehicles which are believed to be heavy commercial vehicles,
and also the highest and lowest hourly traffic flows.

Civil Service

Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1)
if he will give details of the religious composition of the successful
applicants for posts offered by the Department of the Environment, at each
grade level in the (a) supervisory, (b) craft and (c) the non-craft grade
groups of the industrial staff and : (i) the general service and (ii) the
scientific grade groups of the non-industrial staff ; and if he will give
comparable figures for each year since 1983 ;

(2) if he will give details of the religious denomination of all applicants
for posts offered by the Department of the

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Environment, at each grade level in (a) the
supervisory, (b) the craft and (c) the non-craft grade groups of the
industrial staff, and (i) the general service and (ii) the scientific grade
groups of the non-industrial staff ; and if he will give comparable figures
for each year since 1983.

Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 7 December 1989] : Equal
opportunities monitoring in the Northern Ireland Civil Service began in
1985 when staff were asked to complete, on a voluntary basis, a
confidential questionnaire about their schooling background. From this
information the religious affiliation of staff was determined. The
statistics available are as follows :

Information about successful applicants is not provided because the numbers
appointed were so small that it could serve to identify the religious
affiliation of individuals.

Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if
he will give details of the religious denomination of the members of the
directorate of (a) the planning service, (b) the roads service, and (c) the
water service ; and if he will give comparable details for each year for
1983 to 1988 respectively.

Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 7 December 1989] : Equal
opportunities monitoring in the Northern Ireland Civil Service began in
1985 when staff were asked

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to complete, on a voluntary basis, a
confidential questionnaire about their schooling background. From this
information the religious affiliation of staff was determined.

The statistics available are as follows :

DOE Roads, Water and Town and Country
Planning Services
Directorates
Total number of staff in the three
directorates at 1 January 1989
|Number
----------------------------------------
Roads |4
Water |4
Town and Country Planning |3
|---
|11

With such small numbers further disaggregation could only serve to identify
the religious affiliation of individual officers.

Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if
he will give details of the religious composition of the staff of the
Department of the Environment for each grade and level in (a) the
supervisory, (b) the craft and (c) the non-craft grade group of the
industrial staff ; and if he will give comparable figures for each year
since 1983.

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Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 7 December 1989] : Equal
opportunities monitoring in the Northern Ireland Civil Service began in
1985 when staff were asked to complete, on a voluntary basis, a
confidential questionnaire about their schooling background. From this
information the religious affiliation of staff was determined. The
statistics available are as follows :

Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if
he will give details of the religious composition of the staff of the
Department of the Environment, for each grade level in (a) the general
service and (b) the scientific grade groups of the non-industrial staff ;
and if he will give comparable figures for each year since 1983.

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Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 7 December 1989] : Equal
opportunities monitoring in the Northern Ireland Civil Service began in
1985 when staff were asked to complete, on a voluntary basis, a
confidential questionnaire about their schooling background. From this
information the religious affiliation of staff was determined. The
statistics available are as follows :

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Panama

Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs if he will make available emergency economic and
medical aid to Panama to assist the reconstruction of the country following
the invasion by United States forces.

Mrs Chalker : I have no such plans.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Barlow Clowes

Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
why compensation paid by Her Majesty's Government to Barlow Clowes
investors includes compound interest from the date of deposit to the end of
December 1989 ; and why this interest is deemed to be free of liability for
tax.

Mr. Redwood : The terms of the Government's scheme of payments to
investors in Barlow Clowes are in accordance with the recommendation of the
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. The Department's statement
regarding the tax liability of these payments reflects the advice of the
Inland Revenue and is a matter for it.

Vietnam

Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
when export credits guarantee cover was restored to Vietnam.

Mr. Ridley [ holding answer 11 January 1990 ] : Export
Credits Guarantee Department cover for business with Vietnam on medium and
long-term credit was withdrawn in March 1982. Since December that year
cover for short-term business has remained available subject to

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payment being made on terms of cash against
documents out of an irrevocable letter of credit confirmed before shipment
by a bank in the United Kingdom.

While ECGD continues to monitor developments no early relaxation of these
terms is envisaged.

Balance of Trade

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
what is the balance of trade with (a) the rest of the European Communiity,
(b) the USA and (c) Japan ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Norman Lamont : I have been asked to reply.

Information from which crude trade balances may be derived can be found in
the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, available from the Library
of the House, or on the central statistical office databank which may be
accessed through the Library.

Crude balances slightly overstate deficits (or understate surpluses) since
the value of imports, but not that of exports, includes insurance and
freight.

Manufacturing Output

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and
Industry whether he will publish a table showing the increase in the volume
of manufacturing output less food etc. and of exports of manufactures based
on current values.

Mr. Norman Lamont : I have been asked to reply.

Index numbers of the volume of output of manufacturing industries and of
food, drink and tobacco--at 1985 prices--are published in the index of
output of the production industries press notice, tables 1 and 2
respectively, together with their relative weights. Manufacturing output
less food, drink and tobacco can be derived for these two series. Exports
of total manufactures--in current value terms--are published in the United
Kingdom balance of payments current account press notice, table 8. Both
press notices give percentage changes for the latest three months on the
previous three months

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and on the same three months a year earlier.
The press notices are available from the House of Commons Library.

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PRIME MINISTER

Lords Lieutenant for England and Wales

Mr. William Powell : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the
lords lieutenant for England and Wales, the dates of their appointment and
projected date of retirement.

The Prime Minister : A list of lords lieutenant for England and
Wales follows, together with the dates of their appointment and expected
retirement.

EC Internal Matters (Director General)

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what steps are being taken
to fill the post of Director General for internal matters in the EEC.

The Prime Minister : Appointments in the Commission are made by the
Commission. The Government naturally make every effort to ensure that there
is an equitable proportion of British personnel on the staff of the EC
institutions, in particular in important posts.

Mr. John Mogg

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister when she expects Mr. John
Mogg to leave the service of the Cabinet Office.

The Prime Minister : Mr. Mogg joined the Cabinet Office in July
1989. On present plans, his posting would last for two to three years.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Hillsborough Disaster

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
(1) what compensation has been offered to Mr. Trevor Hicks in respect of
each of his daughters killed in the Hillsborough stadium disaster ; what is
the total compensation to be awarded to bereaved families ; and on what
basis their claims will be met ;

(2) what compensation will be payable to parents who lost a child aged
under 18 years, or a spouse aged over 18 years, in the Hillsborough
disaster.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend has no power to
intervene in these matters. I understand, however, that the South Yorkshire
police authority, through its insurers, has been in touch with Mr. Hicks's
solicitors asking for further information about his claim.

Official Secrets

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
whether the effect of the draft Official Secrets Act 1989 (Prescription)
Order 1989 will enable prosecution of the officials listed in schedule 2 to
the order under the Official Secrets Act 1989 for disclosing certain
categories of information to hon. Members ; and if he will make a
statement.

Mr. Waddington : The draft order establishes that the office holders
listed in schedule 2 and some associated staff (all of whom at present fall
within the scope of section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911) are to be
treated as Crown servants for the purposes of the Official Secrets Act
1989. They will be liable to prosecution for unauthorised disclosures in
the limited circumstances laid down in the Act.

Drugs

Mr. Knowles : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
if he will make a statement on opportunities for new manufacturers of opium
derivatives to enter the United Kingdom market in the light of the
recommendations in the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report published
in April 1989.

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Mr. Waddington : While I shall continue to apply strict security
measures to the manufacture and distribution of controlled drugs, I shall
ensure that they do not create unnecessary restrictions on competition. I
therefore welcome firm proposals from new manufacturers to establish opium
derivative production.

TRANSPORT

Leeds City Station

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he
intends to approve the additional funds required for British Rail's
completion of the upgrading of the west end of Leeds City station with an
additional platform and improved track and signalling.

Mr. Portillo : I understand that British Rail has started design
work on a major scheme at Leeds, to be undertaken in the early 1990s.

No question of approval by this Department arises at present.

Nuclear Fuel

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will
list by year for the last 10 years the number of loaded waste nuclear fuel
train movements through Doncaster that were completed (a) with no accidents
involved and (b) with an accident involved.

Mr. Portillo : The Department does not collect this information, but
I understand that loaded nuclear fuel flasks do not normally travel through
Doncaster and there has not been an accident involving this type of traffic
in the Doncaster area.

Blind People

Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will
introduce legislation to require all contractors or councils that dig up
pavements or road surfaces to place firm barriers around the holes to
ensure blind people are not endangered.

Mr. Atkins : A revised version of chapter 8 of the traffic signs
manual to be published later this year will include such measures. The
manual is a code of practice, compliance with which is taken to satisfy
general legal requirements for the proper guarding of works. The proposed
legislation to reform the Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950 will be
used to enforce such requirements for utility works. This legislation will
be introduced as soon as there is a suitable opportunity.

NATIONAL FINANCE

Departmental Staff

Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what
action he intends to take concerning the involvement of Mr. Peter Wetherby,
an employee of his Department, under the pseudonym of Dominic Delaney in
the organisation of the Troops Out movement or the Martyrs Committee.

Mr. Lilley [holding answer 7 December 1989] : The activities
of Mr. Peter Wetherby in relation to the Troops

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Out movement and the Manchester Martyrs are
being investigated by his employers, the Inland Revenue. Any subsequent
action will depend on the outcome of those investigations.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what
is the current position and place of work of Mr. Peter Wetherby.